The Police's Stewart Copeland Answers Drumming Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED
The Police drummer Stewart Copeland answers the internet's burning questions about playing the drums. What is the most difficult song to drum? What's the best way for a beginner to learn how to drum fill? Who's the best drummer he's ever seen live? Stewart answers all these questions and much, much more!
Available in three distinct, deluxe editions, Stewart Copelands Police Diaries is now available. policediariesbook.com/
Director: Justin Wolfson
Director of Photography: Francis Bernal
Editor: Richard Trammell
Talent: Stewart Copeland
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Brandon White
Production Manager: D. Eric Martinez
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Talent Booker: Paige Garbarini, Meredith Judkins
Camera Operator: Cloud
Gaffer: Rebecca Van Der Meulen
Sound Mixer: Sean Paulsen
Production Assistant: Noah Bierbrier
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Additional Editor: Paul Tael
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
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My goodness, what an engaged, articulate, enthusiastic presenter. He feels like a college professor who also happened to tour with one of the most successful bands of all time.
He's always good to listen to. It's great that there's lots of him on YT.
I know you didn’t mean “just” toured … but saying it anyway: he clicked with all of them and helped bring out some of the best songs in them.
@@OrafuDa Sorry, yeah that was unclear. I know he was a member of the band.
Yes! You can tell what a big passion he has for the drums and music in general. But obviously it takes that amount of passion and dediaction to get to his level.
Oyster head wasn't as successful of a band that they should have been.
How this dude and Sting co-existed in a band for any length of time is inconceivable.
How did either one made it out alive without strangling each other is also inconceivable. 🥸 I love Stew’s attitude. The Police would have been a rather boring band without him. He made it all sound like fun.
They do seem like completely different personalities.
Hence, we only got 5 albums
@@trapjohnson Yeah, but what a bunch of albums! ;)
RIGHT lmao
Love that he's completely honest about his tempo drifting.
Yea he really just seems like an all around good guy - able to take what could be construed as a criticism or insult and admit it's something he has done, no big deal. No ego on this one.
@@hadoken95 Well, I think he knows it was the secret sauce, really. When I started out in bands long ago, I *hated* it when my drummers speeded up or slowed down, particularly in the studio. But I’ve come to realize that some rare rock drummers are masters of this-Copeland’s tempo variations really enhance the songs. They aren’t mistakes IMO (even if Sting may have thought so, as I believe I read somewhere.) They are a great part of what drives the songs’ magic. “So Lonely” is a great example: try to imagine the chorus without the acceleration.
@@greggorsag9787He talked about this in his recent interview with Rick Beato (which you should check out on Rick's channel if you haven't yet). Stewart said he rarely ever played a song the same way twice and for the first Police record, that worked out great, but once Sting started getting his writing chops and ultimately the majority of songs to be recorded on their subsequent albums, Sting would come in wanting Stewart and Andy to play their parts in a specific way and that would always drive Stewart up the wall. Stewart's attitude was kind of like, "hey man, I'm the drummer here, I know what to do!". By the way, Rick Beato also interviewed Sting and Andy as well and each of them have their own perspective of how things went down while they were with The Police.
Yes!!!!!!!!!
Give this man his own Netflix series already! The wit and the energy are affecting my pulse. Just listening to him feels like workout. Great drummer, great guy.
Yes!
If Netflix did a show about him they'd cast a black lady to play him.
The BBC gave him an hour long documentary about drumming and then because everyone loved it he did a 3 part series called Adventures in Music. Not sure where you can see it anymore but if you can find it it's great
@@a3poify Thank you!
Stewart Copeland casually giving Joey Jordison props is pretty awesome.
Literally gave me goosebumps hearing him give praise to Joey.
Goes on to show how great of a drummer and musician he is.
Joey Jordison had stated that he was a huge Stewart Copeland fan.
It surprised me that he even knew he was, let alone praising him for his playing. Goes to show that real recognizes real
@@jordangroff8978I honestly can’t imagine there are many drummers that aren’t big fans of Stewart Copeland.
Stewart needs a TV show of his own.
I'd pay to watch that! Something like Modern Family.
He had one: Stewart Copeland's Adventures In Music
He has his own youtube channel and he posts regularly
He kinda reminds me of Adam Savage
He is a gem
I saw that 30 year Police reunion tour and it was quite possibly the tightest show I have ever seen. Three and a half hours with two small set breaks and every tune perfect, those guys were reading each other's minds. Copeland is a juggernaut, he just never stops.
If you thought the Police were tight during the reunion tour, you should have heard them at their live peak on the Synchronicity tour (it's available on video).
@@danielstoddart Wished I could have but was just a tad too young for that. My wife and I went to their reunion show in Hartford CT. One of the best shows we've been to out of maybe 25 or so that we've attended in the last 27yrs.
I took my brother (a professional drummer) to the Police Reunion tour in Hershey, PA. Fifth row, center. He was in heaven as Stewart appeared to be drumming like his life depended on it the whole time. Such energy! Great memories. ❤
I saw that reunion tour as well, we sat near Copeland. They were the tightest band live, so incredible.
Not just one of the greatest drummers who’s ever lived but an incredibly intelligent and engaging dude, his drumming style perfectly captures his personality
meh
Absolutely love this dude, could listen to him for hours
I did not expect to see you here. Respect brother. :]
A taste of video games AND music No wonder we like the Spyro OST so much lol
true
spons?
@@TPD Oh my god TPD TV. What is this christmas? 🤣🤣🤣
Having Stewart Copeland on should snare more viewers.
Dah dun pssssshhh
Heeeeeeey
Yeah great shout. Drum up some interest.
Thing their idea was that it could give drummers their drumming-content kick
I'm sure it'll drum up some business
My favourite drummer of all time. His blending of Jazz, Reggae and syncopated rhythms into rock helped to make the Police one of the most unique and undeniably musically exquisite rock bands ever. He was the glue for Andy Summers and Sting.
I remember back in the day after they released their first few albums telling the snooty avant garde characters around me that Stewart was a great drummer. They laughed and poo pooed me. Probably aren’t laughing anymore now that anyone serious includes him as one of the top rock drummers of all time.
I remember reading an interview with Ted Nugent where he was praising the drumming in “Roxanne” and the interviewer (Paul Morley iirc) said to him the Police sounded too “polite” and Nugent scoffed and said, no, the drumming was dynamite. He then spoiled it rather by suggesting he would employ Copeland to chop wood on his, Nugent’s ranch, but whatever.
Being a RUSH fan Neil Peart was my favorite drummer but recently Ive been discovering The Police and Stewart is really great Dunno where I was in the 80’s but Im catching up. Would love to see Stewart play with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
That’s a great idea.
@@ER-me1iiyeah. Moon, Bonham, Copeland, Peart +1 has become the standard top five.
Great comment about Ringo . The Beatles would never have been the same without his style . Stewart Copeland is a musical legend , and listening to him is an education .
This guy is the epitome of "You must first learn and master the rules before you can break them."
quite the opposite if you listen to the talking. Logically, if you don't know the rules... you are breaking them.
@@morbidmanmusic Yeah but that's just chaos then.
This
@@morbidmanmusic Yeah, he meant, "if you want to sound any good"
@@morbidmanmusic Yeah. Assuming we all live in a vacuum. Can you also get a ticket for not knowing the speed limit? Can a cop pull you over and administer a pop-quiz? JFC
I appreciate that he didn't talk condescendingly to those who asked basic entry level questions. That's a great encouragement to a lot of people
He wants others to succeed, it's so nice to see :)
That’s what impressed me most (but surprised me least).
Isn't it why he's here? I know bill Nye can be a bit of a prick, but aren't most of these experts pretty good about covering the basics too?
The mark of any good teacher
Also as a drummer sometimes the fundementals are still the hardest thing even when you've been playing years and years. Learning to play faster still is a pain no matter how fast you can already play, for example. Kind of like how professional mathemeticians and engineers still have to be careful to not accidentally drop negative signa when solving equations
I don't understand drumming at all and couldn't understand half the points Stewart was making but I still loved every second of this, he's that engaging.
This dude is a rock genius. He’s just as influential on the Police’s sound as Sting’s vocals or reggae influences are.
Please don’t forget Andy’s sublime mastery of the guitar.
love how he has respect for younger drummers like joey jordison
Not gonna lie, I shed a tear
Never got what was so special about Slipknot, there's other better metal bands. Origin, Nile, just to name two
@@casanovafrankenstein8538Joey and Paul are what made them special
@@casanovafrankenstein8538brought blast beats to the mainstream.
@@casanovafrankenstein8538 The fact that they play as heavy as they do while having mainstream success is what makes them special. Joey was also both an absolute technician on the drums while having the ability to play with fee, what I call "a good kind of sloppy." Iowa was the first album I heard blast beats on and it was really eye-opening to me into what metal music could really be. Many metalheads around my age have had their musical tastes expanded by bands like Slipknot or Linkin Park because they got enough mainstream success that it felt like everyone knew Slipknot was an extreme metal band, whether or not they knew any of their music.
So glad you got Stewart Copeland to do this! He's such a funny and talented dude! Also, thank you Stewart for making the best video game soundtrack ever in Spyro!
Amazing composer all around, his soundtrack for Rumble Fish is one of my favorite film OSTs ever
Spyro is such a great game. Legend.
Not only is he one of the greatest drummers of all time, he’s also an incredibly gracious and wholesome human being
oh yeah, I'd love to see him try and play anything written by Matt Halpern
Stewart is not just a legend, he's also crazily entertaining to listen to & watch! He's a loveable character, almost a stand up comic, without even trying to be. Like The Beatles without Ringo, The Police would be nearly nothing without Stewart. Loved this video! Want *MORE* 😇
3:18 I can’t believe that in this day and age people still underestimate Ringo’s drumming. His musicianship, creativity and feel not only shaped the Beatles’ sound, but rock/pop drumming FOREVER. Dude’s a legend and I’m so glad Copeland, a legend himself, recognizes it
Absolutely!!
Ringo’s drum parts are all exceptionally easy.
I just did a quick comparison between Pete Best and Ringo regarding Love Me Do. I don't think Pete is horrible, but Ringo just sounds better. Ringo sounds like a studio pro compared to Pete. I think in an ordinary band, Pete would have been fine. But this is The Beatles. One of the most popular bands of all time. Poor Pete never stood a chance.
@@tylerpedersen9836 notice how I didn’t mention “technique” among Ringo’s greatest feats. Sure, his parts are easy to play. But creating them… that was a whole other thing
@@tylerpedersen9836 Then you must be an absolute pro.
this is absolutely not enough of Stewart Copeland, I need two more parts of this immediately please
shaken, not stirred 🚬😎
Dude is forever young. God, I love him. My all-time favorite drummer. When I think of beats in my head, 90% of the time it’s Stewart playing them.
This is the second interview I have seen with Stewart this week and I have to say he is so charismatic and deserves his own podcast, show or whatever.
Stewart is in his early 70's and better than EVER in his articulation of explaining his process. And his feel, style, just incredible.
He looks REALLY GOOD for being someone in the 70s
I never dreamed I would see Stewart play live in Ireland but the dream came true when my lead singer got me ticket for Police reunion and Stewart's 15 minute drum/percussion solo in Dublin was the cherry on top of the perfect cake,he's still so energetic and fun!
@@AbrahamArthemius He looks healthier than quite a few folks who are 20 years younger than him.
When was that?@@johncollins5552
@@MWayne-zz1cr For sure!! And a lot more energy too... Love the guy, would gladly pay money just to go to a venue and hear him talk about music/drumming for two hours and I'm not even a musician.
Makes me endlessly happy to see Stewart getting some attention and to hear him say such nice things about Taylor Hawkins and Joey Jordison, knowing that they both cited him as a major influence to their playing
❤
Stewart deployed the only positive "kids these days" I've ever heard in my entire life. He's already one of my favorite drummers, I love him even more now.
poke around youtube and you can find 5 year old kids playing like Neal Peart and Yngvie, it's terrifying. but awesome.
As I said before, Stewart can hit the snare harder with traditional grip than most drummers can hit with a match grip. It is mind blowing the power created by him that way. Just an observation.
Very true.
because it hits like a whip when you hold it like that. Its not necessarily a "weaker grip" by any means (I remember watching a local Stoner type of band whose drummer had the same jazzy grip and having the same thoughts though)
Don’t forget he’s also left handed ….😊
years of listening and playing reggae will do that to you. you get that beautiful SNAP
Yo I was genuinely laughing. Dude is not only a legend but he is absolutely funny af. Also explained fundamentals in such a smart an easy way. Get him back on.
Imagine your parents say to you, new beginning drummer, "Yeah, we got you a drum teacher" and it's Stewart Copeland.
He’d be a good and really engaging teacher to be honest
Had no idea he is so authentic, and genuine, love it.
Love to hear someone as iconic as Stewart give Joey such respect, for me Joey is the greatest drummer of all time
Ok, so this is what 50+ years of being a top level musician can result in: impressive, mindblowing, intricate, philosphical and humble yet witty ideas and/or concepts just explained perfectly in simple terms. Thank you so much, Stewart. Can't comment anymore... suddenly feel like practicing.
He's the right kind of boomer, isn't he?
@@edyb2097 LOL.... Yes! 100%
I had to look it up, he's 71?! Wow. I also always imagine good drummers as a slightly different breed in bed... Since y'know, there's a lot to do with understanding rhythm and not rushing things.
The other side to that is Keith Richards. 50+ years and sounds like he's relearning to play
Bar band drummer here, 30+ years…for me Copeland is one of the most difficult drummer to emulate because of almost everything he references in this video - pocket, groove, feel, reggae backwards beats, polyrhythms - he has them all, and executes flawlessly.
It's the same reason nobody can properly emulate Eddie Van Halen. It's mastery of the instrument and mastery of it's musicality too.
My favorite drummer, hands down. No one else sounds or thinks like him and his technical ability often gets overlooked. Listen to how he played swing on his flat ride. Flawless. And he's one of the funniest people on planet Earth.
That musical memory thing is true. I got back together with my high school band and could pretty much play everything we had played.
I’m a simple drummer, I see Mr. Copeland in the thumbnail, I click. Man, Stewart Copeland is awesome, he’s funny, he’s a master and a beast when it comes to drumming, I could watch a 1-hour version of this video with all of his wisdom lol
Stewart Copeland is severely underrated as the composer for the Spyro games soundtracks
Don’t even play drums and this is the best thing I’ve seen on YT in forever.
Stewart’s personality is just as contagious as his drumming!!
as a drummer, this is by far my most favorite video you guys have done
For real!! And we saw a snippet of him playing double bass 😮
Non-drummer, but could happily listen to Stewart for a couple more hours!
Non-musician and I agree 100%!! Love listening/watching interviews with SC. Very entertaining, modest and smart dude. He's a credit to his generation.
My musical idol. When i was young, i played drums just because of him; today i only play bass, but Stewart's technique and signature sound will never get off my head. Copeland is the GOAT.
Joey Jordison is absolutely, hands-down, my all-time favorite drummer 🤘🏻 it's so nice to see a recognized professional acknowledge his skill.
Thank you Stewart for always mentioning Mitch Mitchell, the first musician that made me stop and just listen to the drums, no small feat when it’s Hendrix you’re temporarily ignoring.
Hendrix gets the glory, but Mitchell and Redding were first-class musicians in their own right. Listening to that band for the first time was sensory overload in the best way
Ahh the little wing into fill is immaculate
He's so straight forward, I love it. Definitely knows complex theory but in the end, his lesson to us is: To learn, you have to do. So do!
His snare stick grip is even more unique, for he doesn't hold the stick between the middle and ring fingers, but kind of between the index and middle finger. And he seems quite comfortable with that!!!
I love how he makes everything sound like all of us drummers are kind of equal. He’s very humble and very talented. Great video!
You guys brought STEWART FREAKING COPELAND. Thanks so much
This was like being in the 2nd grade and having a great teacher come and show you things about his hobby. I dig it. More presenters like him
Still blows my mind how he composed the score for the Spyro series, those are some of my fondest childhood memories. Thanks, Stewart!
The fact he said Joey's name, and did a metal demo was literally like a dream come true for me, thanks Stew!😂💯🎵😎
One of my drum students asked me to teach Spirits in the Material World. I asked him to count where the 1 is and that’s when he realized how hard the the drum part is! I think we picked Roxanne instead and plan to visit Spirits later when he’s got more experience 😚 Loved this video what a fun dude! ❤
He's so sharp. So personable. And such a great student and teacher of his craft. . And his lyrics in Darkness may be the best The Police ever did.
Absolutely my favorite member of the Police. An academic with regards to drum history and theory, but also unpretentious and passionate when it comes to his craft.
My favourite drummer ever, even as a guitar player I get amazed by this dude's refinement
This is probably my favorite Questions Answered clip. Can we get Stewart just come on and talk about everything? I could listen to him all day.
Thank you so much, Wired! Young drummers out there, if you haven't heard Stewart play, listening the The Police is your assignment for the week. He has an unmistakably distinctive style that's influenced countless drummers over the years.
@8:10 that’s no joke. when i worked at a music shop i had a customer return a metronome because, “it always slows down when i start playing…” i was nice. it takes some practice to get used to the click but all drummers will be glad they spent the time when it’s no longer a conscious effort to lock in.
I loved the part he explained about Ringo, I didn’t know about love love me do tambourine, that is really amazing!!!!!!
This guys passion and energy is infectious.
Stewart Copeland was the reason I played the drums… my hero
I'd started to learn the drums along to the 'Zenyatta Mondatta' album when it was brandnew. I was 10 then 😊
I even dyed my ginger hair blonde! Had a black Tama kit, seen ‘The Police’ 3 times ! Still my favourite band of all time
Sharing the lucidity, clarity and wisdom of this man is greatly appreciated. He's SO SHARP for his age
Stewart is just an absolute class act! Such a cool and humble guy, always love watching content of him. One of the best drummers!
It surprised me that Stewart mentioned Taylor and even more so when he talked about Joey. It put a smile on my face.
man i just love this man, his music and aura are unmatched
To think that Sting could make the police with one of the best drummers of the 70's with one of the most underrated guitar players of all time is something we all should admire of him.
I love Stewart: he's both a very talented drummer and very good at explaining drumming/drums
Love how Stewart Copeland shares his enthusiasm. Still punk at heart. Have the skills to break the rules.
Sooo fun! Love his enthusiasm, sarcasm, truth and bite.
Imagine a man of such greatness, a musician of such magnitude and a composer telling people that odd time signatures are a hick up. Where has he been for the last 60 years? So much wisdom.
I am so impressed with Stewart. I play avante-garde jazz-type drums and really never got to know his drums BUT this guy clearly knows what's up. We are now bros.
I remember a Guitar Center interview with Stewart talking about Joey Jordison, and how he was so impressed, he went out and bought a double bass pedal after all those years. Cool to see, all these years later, he still has 'em.
That's so cool! Thanks for sharing 😊
He really is a musical genius He's always a treat to listen to
Got to see him a year or so when he was touring and doing The Police songs using a local orchestra. He was so detailed when explaining how the songs were deconstructed into an orchestra setting but was also entertaining enough that he always had your attention.
One of the most brilliantly talented and coolest human beings alive on the planet, he should be way more Famous for his drumming period.
My absolute favorite drummer out there. There needs to be more content of him and more stories to tell. One of the most talented and fun people I've ever seen!
Stewart is a super cool dude .I could listen to him all day .
One of my favourite drummers. Could listen to him play and talk for hours.
Mr. Copeland is one of my all-time favorite drummers; I love to listen to his playing. And every interview or Q&A I've ever seen of his shows me that he's also a really cool, laid back interesting person. This video was fun and informative.
Stewart Copeland is an amazing drummer and so full of zest about music! Props for composing the Spyro soundtrack too!
Best drummer of all time, my number one, pure genius... He is unique 🔥🔥🔥
Was only aware of stories of his fights with Sting during Police heyday and assumed he was a dark, selfish, withdrawn character. But he is one of the funniest positive dudes ever! Glad I accidentally clicked this and will be tuning in for more Copeland.
the pocket is the best feeling in the world. for real about "play slow to achieve speed". it's that way with most things in the world. start small, start slow... etc...
God, this is good. So many nuggets of splendid advice for ensemble players.
Growing up and learning drums I listened to him and Neil religiously. What a legend 🔥
I don't think the Police would have been the Police without Stewart's incredibly creative drumming. As a guitarist, I would listen to Andy Summer's excellent playing first, as well as Sting's bass and vocals, but at some point my attention is always drawn to Stewart's drumming, perfect in context but also brilliant in it's own right. This is the first of Stewart's videos I've experienced, and it was both informative and very funny. I will be listening to more.
Explaining in such an informative, intuitive, natural, funny way is a talent in itself. I aint no drummer but Stewart would inspire me to wanna try. great video
This is the coolest dude in rock, and it ain't close
Man, that TAMA set is so beautiful. It has a certain art-deco vibe to it.
This guy was born to teach. His enthusiasm oozes out of him ❤
Stewart is the most wholesome lad on the planet.. smart, funny, humble and always giving kudos to everyone. Please we need more of this. And by more I mean like 10/15 seasons
Love this guy. Great drummer, great dude. Gotta love musicians.
One of the greatest drummers and a genuinely fun person.
I’ve been a fan of the police since I was 10 yrs old. I first heard spirits in a material world I was just enamored with their unique sound. So every album and music video I would want to see more of Stuart because of his incredible drumming skills. I believe the police are a group that doesn’t get the credit they deserve. Sting of course got pretty much most of the attention, but Stuart and Andy definitely held their own in the group. Would love to see a reunion in the near future.
I’ve known for a while, now of him being the drummer for the police, but I also liked how open and honest he is with these questions, and also not necessarily watching his language, he seems like a really cool, down to earth guy that’s teaching what he feels is the best advice to give. And one thing I definitely appreciated, seeing as I am a fan of Slipknot and still consider them my favorite band to this moment, that when asked what some of the best drummers were, I had a smile on my face when he mentioned Joey Jordison and what he was able to accomplish, and raising the level of drumming, and that as Copeland said, he did stuff with his feet, that I could only dream of doing with my hands. That seemed like a huge compliment. 🙂
7:01 So glad he mentioned Joey!
I love Stewart Copeland. He's just great. I saw him on his Deranged tour and it was great!
Stewart has always been a huge inspiration to me. One of the greatest ever.
Loved him being straight about tempo... having seen him absolutely SPEED when playing songs with The Doors.